1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to unique pocket hinge assemblies which, when installed, permit a cabinet door to rotate between open and closed positions relative to an associated cabinet. The pocket hinge assemblies advantageously include a positive locking feature by which to reliably maintain the door in the closed position across the cabinet.
2. Background Art
Pocket hinge assemblies have long been known in the cabinet hinge art for permitting a cabinet door to rotate between open and closed positions relative to an associated cabinet. Such pocket hinge assemblies usually include a cabinet plate member or bracket that is fixed to a wall of a cabinet and a cup member or pot that is pivotally interconnected with the cabinet plate member and affixed to the cabinet door. The cup member is typically mounted at the door within a pocket or similar receptacle formed therein.
One problem common to the conventional pocket hinge assemblies is their inability to reliably retain the door in a fully closed position across the cabinet. That is to say, the door may tend to rotate away from the cabinet to a partially open position. This condition is sometimes unattractive and subjects the interior of the cabinet to exposure. By way of another common problem, it is often difficult or inconvenient to adjust the location of the cup member relative to the cabinet plate member depending upon the amount of overlay desired between the cabinet and its door. More particularly, the installer usually needs both hands to make the adjustments necessary to change the overlay characteristics of the pocket hinge assembly. As a consequence of the foregoing, the installer is denied the availability of a free hand to support the cabinet door during the installation process. Therefore, the installation or adjustment of the door can become a relatively cumbersome and time consuming task.
One example of a known pocket hinge assembly is available by referring to U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,229 to Salice which shows a cam surface formed at a slider and rotatable with a pot-shaped member on a cabinet door into releasable engagement with an end portion of a hinge bracket on a cabinet. However, unlike the claimed invention, the slider of Salice is stiff and not the same as or equivalent to a normally relaxed spring that is adapted to flex in response to an impact force applied thereto.